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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: straw · pitch · kid · cue · court · prune · suit · spell

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. cue — for pool
  3. suit — to fit
  4. spell — magic
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. pitch — completely
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. prune — to trim
  10. spell — letters
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. kid — child
  13. court — of law
  14. suit — clothes
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. cue — a hint
  17. kid — to tease
  18. spell — a short time
  19. cue — a signal
  20. suit — in cards
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. court — for sport
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com